The novel concerns two relatives of Dorothy Gale, Em and Dory, who find themselves in Oz just as Bastinda, a new Wicked Witch of the West, threatens the citizens of Oz.

The Emerald Wand of Oz is the 46th book in the series and the first of four Oz novels that have been commissioned by the Baum Family Trust. It is followed by Trouble Under Oz and Sky Pirates of Oz, all by Sherwood Smith.